A new report on trans healthcare barriers by the Center for American Progress found that nearly half of trans adults in the US have made at least one serious suicide attempt, with a further 24% having made multiple attempts to end their life. In comparison, only 1% of straight, cisgender participants had made multiple suicide attempts, and 5% reported self-harming more than once (compared to 49% of trans adults).
Overall, 66% of trans respondents said that they had thought about committing suicide more than once in their lives, with 16% of cishet people saying the same. 60% of trans adults said that over the past month, they had experienced poor mental health for one or more days, with an additional 43% saying that they have a diagnosis of depression.
The report suggested that the reasons for these disparities lie in the lack of healthcare for trans citizens, saying: “Regular harassment and discrimination contribute to high rates of stress and – combined with adverse social, political, and economic risk factors – make transgender individuals significantly more likely to experience poor health outcomes.”
It concluded that it “is critical to adopt both robust nondiscrimination laws and in-practice policies that are affirming, inclusive, and culturally competent throughout all areas of the US health care system” to help support trans adults and provide more effective care. The authors also argued that improved access to healthcare will have “life-saving consequences” for trans Americans.
